Arby’s has a top-secret club which allows you to eat what you want from the menu without paying a dime. You heard that right. It’s called the Club 50. Club 50? Yes, it’s the only place where foodies get in free and you gotta be a G.
Sorry that was corny.
What is the Club 50?
Basically, every Arby’s location that opens gives the first 50 people – a year worth of food. Now it’s not every single day, you get 52 free meals (one free meal per week). And yes, they are small meals (sandwich, small fries, and a drink). Some places do have exclusions, for example, mine is not valid for the “Meat Mountain Sandwich Meal.” But everything else goes, including the limited time menu items.
These are the cards you will receive. But as you can see I only have 5 more cards left, the 7 other cards were used and thrown away. Remember you will start with 12 cards total.
Also, I want to mention that you never need to make a purchase unless you want something extra (i.e. a shake or a side). No strings attached and they don’t make you feel like a freeloader. My location has been very kind and I find that we strike up conversation often.
How does the process work?
You will get 12 cards (each card corresponds to a different month) with four or five boxes. The boxes are based on the number of weeks in that month (one free meal per week).
This is how it goes down. Drive to the Arby’s where you got the card (it has to be that location), you can use either the drive-through or by walking in. Order what you want (remember you will be ordering the small meal). Hand them the card. They will call a manager over to sign and date that week’s box. They will keep the receipt. Don’t forget your card!
Tip: If you’re placing two orders, you will need to split them up as separate orders.
Is it worth it?
This is ValueGrub… and we do like value, so I must address it. If you live in a dense area (like a large city), you might not want to wait outside for an entire day. Also, keep in mind the day of the week and whether or not you have the day off (ours was on a Thursday). I will let you be the judge on this one.
Considering I am getting over $400 in food, it was worth waiting in line for three hours. Heck yes. Where else can you get paid $133 an hour?
What time should I go?
Like I said above it really depends on your location and what day of the week (weekday or weekend). If you live in a dense area consider going 4 – 5 hours before they open. If you read my story below, we got to the restaurant 3 hours before and were 20 – 22 in line. The last person showed up an hour before open.
How my experience went down…
It was an early December morning, we set our alarms to 6:45 AM that morning. And by 7 AM we were out the door with a chair and a bookbag full of goodies to occupy ourselves during the three hours of waiting. I make the ten-minute drive over, parked, got out and set up in line (we were the 20th or so in line) when I realize… I left my wallet at home. Gosh, darn it!
I left my girlfriend in line (she had her wallet) so at least one of us would get the Club 50 card. I rushed back home, grabbed my wallet and another chair. Drove the fastest way I could get back, which was notorious for speed traps. While speeding, I quickly reminded myself of the speed trap and slowed down to the speed limit. Sure enough, as I was rounding the corner, there were two highway patrol cars scanning for speeders. Whew.
I pulled into the parking lot noticing a lot more cars than before. Shit. Threw the car into park, jumped out, grabbed my stuff and walked quickly over to my girlfriend. There were about 10 – 15 people behind her in line at this point. While I hate being that guy, I quickly counted 35ish people and set up my chair next to her.
We chatted with a lady sitting next to us for the remaining time. About one hour before they were supposed to open the doors, a regional manager came to introduce himself, asking who was here first. Turns out a lady was in line the night before (11 PM). Talk about dedication. During this time a few members of the kitchen staff show up to begin preparing for the day. They offer us coffee and some random Arby’s swag (gloves and chapstick). A nice gesture I didn’t take advantage of since we were getting food for free. Some people were asking for shirts… damn, give an inch, take a mile?
After that the regional manager had us fill out a paper with a number on it corresponding to our place in line. You have to fill out your information on this paper which also doubles as a term of service (basic stuff: i.e., don’t sell the cards, don’t be an asshole, don’t think you own the building). Then the regional manager walks around and signs off while verifying your ID and information.
When the doors open, the regional manager will hand you the cards and you can either leave or order something. I would say 80% of the people stayed to grab something to eat. I would recommend it as it is a nice gesture to the franchise owner.
Wrap up
All in all, I did enjoy the experience (minus my missing wallet) and one that I would do again. Arby’s has treated me well and I hope they do the same for you. Comment below with your story! Let us know how your experience went and what time you got or plan on getting to the front door.
If you weren’t able to make it, don’t feel left out, Arby’s usually runs some pretty decent deals.
- Wendy’s $3 Breakfast Deal (Croissant & Small Seasoned Potatoes) - November 17, 2022
- Burger King 2 for $5 Mix n’ Match Deal - October 20, 2020
- Taco Bell 50% Off Nachos Party Pack - October 16, 2020
I didn’t have to wait long.I was a sleep when my wife called me and told me to go to the new Arby’s in Springhill ,to they were to give out a free meal to the first 50 people for a year got dressed drove there I got lucky and was the 45th in line took15 min. Total . Some people had been there along time . Good thing not to many people knew about it. I will be going to enjoy free food for a year.If it is free it’s for me.
Your wife is the true MVP! Enjoy it.